--- title: "Fred update (2017): what Google said and what it means now" url: https://seomadman.com/updates/fred-update-2017 section: updates language: en published: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z author: Adam Hafez topics: ["Content strategy", "Core updates"] --- # Fred update (2017): what Google said and what it means now ## The short answer Fred is the name the SEO industry attached to a Google ranking change first reported on 7 March 2017. Google never announced it. Its Gary Illyes said on Twitter that there obviously was an update, and at SMX West that it targeted techniques documented in Google's webmaster guidelines, without naming which. The name began as his joke. ## Key takeaways - Industry trackers dated the change to 7 March 2017; Google published no announcement or dates. - Google's Gary Illyes said the update targeted techniques documented in Google's webmaster guidelines. - Illyes said Google's search leads had decided not to talk about the update in any more detail. - The name came from an Illyes joke that every update, unless otherwise stated, shall be called Fred. - Google's spam policies and helpful content guidance are the current reference for low-value content. ## What Google changed Google never described this update. The most it said came from Gary Illyes, then a webmaster trends analyst at Google, at SMX West in March 2017. Search Engine Land reported that Illyes said Google's search leads "have decided not to talk about the Fred update," and that the update "targets specific techniques that are well-documented within the Google webmaster guidelines." He would not say which guidelines. On Twitter he added that "obviously there was an update." Search Engine Land's own analysis was that Fred targeted low-value content focused on revenue generation. That is an industry reading, not a Google statement. ## When it rolled out Google gave no dates. Search Engine Land dates the update to 7 March 2017, from industry reports of ranking changes, and that date is used here. Google stated no completion date. The name came two days later. On 9 March 2017, Illyes tweeted, as quoted by Search Engine Journal: "From now on every update, unless otherwise stated, shall be called Fred." He meant it as a joke about every unnamed update, but the SEO industry attached the name to the 7 March change, which is why this page lists Fred as an industry name. ## What is known about its impact Google published no figures on how many sites or queries were affected. In a later interview at BrightonSEO, reported by Search Engine Journal, Illyes described Fred as the name for every unnamed update rather than one change. Traffic losses attributed to Fred come from third-party data, so this page does not repeat them. ## What site owners should do The webmaster guidelines Illyes referred to are now Google's spam policies and Search Essentials. Google's current guidance is the reference point: - Check pages with affiliate links against the spam policy on thin affiliation, which covers content that copies product descriptions without adding value. - Check for scaled content abuse: many pages generated primarily to manipulate rankings rather than help users. - Self-assess content against Google's helpful content questions, including whether it provides original information, reporting, research or analysis. - If rankings drop after a core update, follow Google's core update guidance rather than making quick fixes. ## How to check whether it affected you This is historical. Search Console keeps 16 months of performance data, so it cannot show March 2017. In archived analytics, compare organic Google traffic for the week before 7 March 2017 with the second half of March 2017, page by page. The [Google Algorithm Updates timeline](/updates) lists the updates around it. ## Related updates - The [May 2015 quality update](/updates/quality-update-2015) was an earlier quality change the industry named. - The [August 2018 core update](/updates/august-2018-core-update) was a later quality-related change the industry nicknamed. ## Frequently asked questions ### Did Google confirm the Fred update? Partly. Google never announced it, but Gary Illyes said at SMX West in March 2017 that it targeted techniques documented in the webmaster guidelines, and told Search Engine Land on Twitter that there obviously was an update. Google gave no dates or details. ### Who named the Fred update? Google's Gary Illyes, as a joke. On 9 March 2017 he tweeted that every update, unless otherwise stated, shall be called Fred. The SEO industry then used Fred for the 7 March 2017 change specifically. ### What kind of sites did Fred affect? Google did not say. Search Engine Land's own analysis concluded it hit low-value content focused on revenue generation, but that is an industry reading. Google only said it targeted techniques in its webmaster guidelines. ### What should a site do about Fred today? Nothing specific to 2017. Check your site against Google's current spam policies, which cover practices such as thin affiliation and scaled content abuse, and against its guidance on helpful, people-first content. ## Sources 1. [Google: Our search leads won't let us talk about the Fred update](https://searchengineland.com/google-search-leads-wont-let-us-talk-fred-update-271874) - Search Engine Land (primary) 2. [A Complete Guide to the Google Fred Algorithm](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-algorithm-history/fred-update/) - Search Engine Journal 3. [Spam policies for Google web search](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies) - Google Search Central (primary) 4. [Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content) - Google Search Central (primary)